A new study written by ACR+ member Reloop together with a consortium of partners has found that local authorities stand to benefit from the introduction of a deposit refund system (DRS) for plastic and glass bottles and aluminium cans.

The new report finds that local authorities across England could save up to 35 million pounds every year if a DRS for drinks containers was introduced. The analysis of data across eight local authorities, including those with high and low recycling rates, found that rather than losing income, the individual authorities could potentially make savings of between 60,000 and 500,000 pounds. The report finds that local authorities would lose some income as there would be a reduced number of cans and plastic bottles in the kerbside collections to sell to recyclers. However, the savings made from having fewer containers to collect and sort, as well as reduced levels of littering and reduced landfill charges will actually create savings that outweigh the loss of revenue.

Every day 35 million plastic bottles and 20 million aluminum cans are sold across the UK and many end up as litter, in oceans or in landfill sites. Evidence from other countries, including the US, Norway and Germany, shows that the introduction of a deposit on plastic bottles and cans can raise collection rates above 90% and reduce littering.